15 BBL Conical, Finally Standing!!!

2 Months Go By Like 2 Minutes!

Again, I haven't documented any of the progress over the last 2 months and there have been so many incredible moments of triumph! I will spend the next week or so just posting short bits and pictures to get this blog caught back up. In the meantime, enjoy these photos from our good friend Devin Sena as we relaxed after pouring concrete inside the brewery!

TTB Federal Brewer's Notice Approval...

Damn! The TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau) got fast! We had heard that with the current renaissance, or full-on gold rush, of new breweries applying for their federal license that it could take months to receive the notice. Scratch that - online submission = 5 week turnaround! Now we just have to get our State Manufacturer's License (which has been applied for and the state is reviewing it), along with a hundred and ten thousand tasks around the brewery completed, and we might yet open this little brewery! Woohoo!

The Latest Tasting Room Addition...

For some time now, we have been searching for barn wood for the tasting room. Old, authentic, rustic barn wood to create a warm, inviting space with some modern/industrial accents. We looked at craigslist, we scoured RiNo, and pursued several other leads that didn't pan out. We knew that Lynn and Vicky Holstad (Carissa's wonderful parents) had quite a bit of barn wood that they had been saving for a project at their home in Westcliffe. This wood had been salvaged from several sites around the valley and held pretty significant sentimental value to Vicky and Lynn. Recently, we heard that the project may not happen and that this pile of barn wood may be available to us. Aaron had been pushing Lynn to allow us to use the wood at BSB, and recently Lynn finally said ok. 

Wasting no time, Aaron lined up a trailer from his friend Dave Duffy and he and Chad made the journey to Westcliffe to pick it all up. They left at 5:00 am and drove straight into a snow and rain storm. Because of the bitter cold, the windshield was icing up and neither of them could see the road very well. Chad was bent forward driving 70 miles an hour, hauling ass to make the round trip in a day, seeing the lines in the road through a 2 inch square that hadn't frozen. When they hit Hard Scrabble, the storm lifted and the sky cleared, revealing a beautiful blue sky and snow-frosted pine trees. They made it safely to Westcliffe and in a matter of hours, grabbed every single piece of barn wood that Lynn and Vicky would let them take. They loaded the trailer, strapped it down, and hauled ass back to Denver to get the wood inside the brewery. We can't thank Lynn and Vicky Holstad enough for the beautiful wood and we look so forward to seeing the space come together as we have envisioned in our heads. It's gonna be an incredible space to drink Red Ale, listen to great music, and enjoy the company of great friends. Thank you so much guys! We love you!

Late 2011, Early 2012

WOW! Has it really been two months since the last update? How time flies sometimes, huh? To say the last two months has been magical and spectacular would be a huge understatement.First, our family has grown quite tremendously in the past few months. Our little sister and her man welcomed their daughter into the world in late November, and she is an absolute angel sent from the heavens. Seeing our little sister so happy and watching her transition into a momma has been surreal, heartwarming, and completely overwhelming. She has the delicate touch and the firm grip that it takes to be a great mother, and it so exciting and inspiring to watch! Couple that with the most patient, understanding, and intelligent father and our little niece has quite the pair of parents to teach and guide her into the world. I am sure that her sweetness and love will repay them many, many times in the coming years!

Fast forward to one of the biggest blizzards to hit Denver in some time, Thursday, Feb 2nd, and another brilliant light shined down on us all. Chad and Carissa welcomed their first son into the world in the middle of the snow and wind and craziness (safe and warm in a hospital, just to clarify). Their son, my nephew, is nothing short of a phenom in his first week of life. He is so unbelievably ambitious and anxious to show the world that he has great things in store for it. To make the connection between his personality and that of his parents is way too easy and obvious. He truly is a reflection in all the best ways! And to see the transition that Carissa and Chad have made in literally hours is so ridiculously awesome! What amazing parents. 

The brewery you ask? What's going on with the brewery? Well, the plumbing is in and waiting for inspection. The entryway was torn down as we finally realized that our attempts to salvage it just weren't going to be enough. In hindsight, that room should have come down a long time ago. We salvaged all of the 2x4s from the room and will use them to frame in the bar and possibly some other cool projects that are in the works. Reduce, reuse, recycle! We have one of our old comrades back in our good graces, as Voss Family Farms has agreed to allow BSB to use his hops almost exclusively this year. We met Andrew years ago through a connection I made at the restaurant and we used his dried and also wet hops. The wet hops didn't work as well as I would have wanted back then, but it was only because I didn't know how to utilize them at the time. Anyway, after a short hiatus, his beautiful hops will again grace our kettle and dry hop bags! Look out! After firing our old architect and hiring a new one that we found through our friend Scott Witsoe at Wit's End Brewing, we were finally able to kick the city's ass in to shape and get them on board with our project. What a great ally and pusher we found in Ryan Holtmann of Design Studio Architects. In addition, we have been building the steam boiler that will fire our boil kettle; we have purchased garage doors for the front of the building that will change it's appearance dramatically; we are working on a new front door that will bring the whole project together; we have been filming with Free Mind Productions on their follow up film to Beer Culture; we have submitted our application to the TTB for their review; we have also submitted our Manufacturer's License application to the State for their review. TONS and TONS and TONS! I am out of breath just thinking about it! 

This is an exciting time for all of us. We have found such amazing beauty in so many ways. We fill accomplishment, amazement, and excitement like never before. We have laughed and we have definitely cried. We hope for more of the same as we continue to push to make our dream a reality. We hope your heart is warm and that the new year is bringing you all the best of things too! 

Cheers, Chad, Branden, and Carissa

It's Cold In Denver...

Last night was f*cking cold in Denver. It dipped into the single digits and I listened to my furnace work it's ass off all day yesterday and through the night to keep the house relatively warm. Yesterday was the kind of day where you put your clothes on, walk outside, and immediately turn around and change your game plan. It was a day to stay inside, cook, read, listen to music, catch up with friends, and decorate the Christmas tree. Today is much warmer, climbing into the high 20's with the sun shining bright. It's funny how much warmer it feels when the sun is out. I almost feel like I could work outside in a t-shirt. Although, I am not about to attempt it!

Just a few weeks ago, we made our last payment on the industrial glycol chiller that we have in our possession. When we purchased this piece of equipment, we couldn't get cash from the bank and we damn sure didn't have it in our pockets. My brother told the owner of the equipment that if he could act as the bank and finance it, we could make payments and he could get it out of his possession. He wanted to sell the chiller, as he is in the business of doing, and we wanted to purchase it for the brewery. The terms were set and both parties satisfied! Now, after several payments, that sucker is ours! We have yet to fire it up and use it, but we definitely know that we got a damn good deal on this machine and even though it may need a little coaxing back to life, it's gonna be a workhorse for us. 

The day after Thanksgiving our Kickstarter campaign ended, short of our financial goal. We were so flattered by the number of friends and family that all pledged way more to our project than they could really afford. There is a great number of believers in this project and we will work hard to show them why. We were also a bit shocked that the campaign didn't get more traction from people outside of our circle. But that's the way it goes, and we have learned from it. Although we didn't hit our financial goal, the bigger goal is to open the brewery and we are still kicking ass on that one! Sure Kickstarter would have eased a few financial burdens and allowed us to move a little faster, but we are still on track to open the brewery in the spring of 2012. My brother said it in a very cool way the other day. He said "if you are going to restore a 1968 Roadrunner, you can do it in a month if you have $100,000. If you don't have that huge amount of cash at your disposal, you can still build the car, it just takes more time and effort. And that is where we are at. It's still going to be a badass artisanal brewery. Our dream is still gonna come true. It's just taking a little longer and we are having to work harder!" Nothing good comes easy, right!

Piece by piece, little by little, just like the story of our glycol chiller, we are gonna get this little brewery open and blow people's minds! Stay warm and stay tuned...

Fall-ish In Denver...

As I sit here looking out the window at the beauty that Denver offers, I am feeling so connected and inspired. Earlier this week, we set a new record high temperature in the city, only to be followed by a sizable winter storm on Wednesday that dropped several inches of heavy, wet snow and crippled Denver for almost a day. Tree branches broke and smashed unsuspecting cars, and power lines snapped and left thousands of people without electricity for hours. There is a saying here - "if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes!" It is a laughable notion but one that proves true more often than not. The weather here is dynamic. It is moody. It gives us the best of the best and, every now and then, the worst of the worst. But without hardship, we wouldn't embrace success and the same goes for living in this great city. We are fortunate to live in a place that challenges us, and then rewards us so greatly.

The morning light earlier today, and even more so yesterday, was so brilliant bouncing off the fresh coat of white that I just stared in awe as I sipped my cup of coffee. I don't remember an early season snowstorm of this size in some time. I am sure it isn't the earliest or biggest on record, but the fact that even the trees and bushes weren't ready for it is a sign of it's untimeliness. In years past, Halloween is usually the day that the weather turns the corner from fall to winter. It was always so frustrating as a kid because it made trick-or-treating a burden instead of a blast. The ears and nose were turned to ice and we couldn't feel our fingers to open the candy we had just scored. But, as I said earlier, the sun is back and it's warmth is melting the snow so quickly that soon we will forget the storm even happened. We are now stronger and more prepared for the coming winter, and we will do our best to enjoy every little turn that Momma Nature has in store for us! Happy Halloween! Be safe, warm, and have fun!